Agri Institute: Singh rushes to Assam to vet location

A buoyed up Union Agriculture Minister rushed to Assam on Thursday as soon as the Cabinet nodded its assent to the proposal to set up Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in the State.

A Rs 155 crore Institute is being planned in the Gogapur of Dhimapur district and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to lay the foundation stone on 26th May. As the advance team , Union Minister visited the site to oversee the preparations.

Later he conducted a review meeting, details of which were shared by him in the tweet “ Review meeting with KVK, ICAR & state agriculture officials on laying foundation stone ceremony of IARI #Assam centre at Gogamukh, Dhemaji”.

It bears recall that the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to set up Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Assam to promote agri-education and realise second green revolution in the north eastern region.

Pioneer reports that the Narendra Modi Government had announced a plan to set up four such institutes in the Budget 2014-15. The IARI-Assam was delayed as the previous Government did not give land.

The current Sarbananda Sonowal Government has given 587 acres of land at Gomukh, Dimaji and work will start. Also the proposal for 98 positions has been approved. The Prime Minister is expected to lay a foundation of IARI onMay 26, this month.

PIB release says the IARI-Assam would focus more on research activities and will teach 67 MSc students and 106 PhD students.

Earlier, Singh informed that IARI-Assam would work on the agrarian challenges and complexities of North Eastern India in coordination with all existing central and state government R&D Institutions and private sector enterprises.

It would aim to promote agro-based industries and generate employment opportunities for holistic and sustainable development of the agriculture sector in the North Eastern region.